NURSES STRIKE: UK OPEN TO TALKS, BUT STANDS BY PREVIOUS PAY OFFER, SAYS MINISTER

Fri 25 November 2022:

British Health Secretary Steve Barclay said on Friday that he was open to talks with the nurses’ union RCN, but emphasized the benefits of a pay increase announced by the government in July.

Responding to news that nurses are set to carry out their biggest ever strike action, Barclay emphasised that a previously announced pay rise of at least 1,400 pounds ($1,695.26) will mean a newly qualified nurse will typically earn over 31,000 pounds a year.

“The NHS (National Health Service) has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate but inevitably strike action will have an impact on services,” he said on Twitter.

The majority of British nurses will walk out on the job for the first time in their union’s 106-year history next month, joining a number of other U.K. workers who are also protesting salary.

On December 15 and 20, employees in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—but not in Scotland—will strike after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union claimed that the government had rejected a proposal for negotiations.

It will be the most recent strike action in Britain, where personnel in several sectors have demanded pay hikes to keep up with rising prices due to decades-high inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.

Numerous other public and private sector staff, from lawyers to airport ground personnel, have also held strikes this year.

Amid the waves of industrial action, British inflation has continued its recent surge, reaching a 41-year high of 11.1% in October on jumps in energy and food costs.

Bosses in the NHS said in September that nurses were skipping meals to feed and clothe their children and struggling to afford rising transportation costs.

One in four hospitals had set up foodbanks to support staff, according to NHS Providers, which represents hospital groups in England.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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